1. Field
The present invention relates generally to message delivery, and in particular, to a system and method for reliable message delivery.
2. Description of the Related Art
Information has become an important component to achieving business success in today's information age. A typical business decision or plan requires the input and analysis of many different pieces of information. This creates a correlation between the quality of information used and the quality of the business decision or plan, thus creating a need for information exchange between the information holder (the source of the information) and the information user (the maker of the business decisions and plans).
For example, in planning a manufacturing business, a manufacturer carries the risk of product over-supply or under-supply (supply risk). In the case of product over-supply, the manufacturer is left with eroding product inventory and the costs associated with the eroding inventory. In the case of product under-supply, the manufacturer is left with unsatisfied customers and the missed revenue opportunities. In addition to managing supply risk, the manufacturer has to also manage demand risk as manifest by, for example, its pricing decisions. A poor pricing decision may leave the manufacturer vulnerable to a competitor, which may result in product over-supply.
Production decisions are typically based on information such as product demand or sales forecasts, component supply plans, product shortage risks, product over-supply risks, component shortage risks, component over-supply risks, and the like. Typically, a production planner within the manufacturer performs a production analysis in an independent manner using historical information and estimates to arrive at a production plan or schedule. For example, some of the information can be from the actual component suppliers, rather than the production planner's estimation.
In addition to the telephone, facsimile (fax) and, more recently, electronic mail have become widely used communication tools used to convey such information. For example, a component supplier can send an email containing a component's pricing plan and production schedule to a manufacturer. The manufacturer can then incorporate the information contained in the email in its production decision analysis. Email transmission of information, as well as the other types of communication tools, is not seamless in that it requires manual management of the information by the parties involved in the communication.
For example, the manufacturer has to first receive the information, and then incorporate the received information into its production decision analysis. This typically requires a conversion of the information from one format (e.g., written) used by the communication tool to another format used in the production decision analysis (e.g., proprietary electronic format). Transmission of the information may also involve manual management. For example, telephone, fax, and electronic mail do not ensure transmission of the information. The telephone may be busy or not answered. The manufacturer's fax machine may be busy or the fax transmission unsuccessful due to a transmission error, and the retransmission attempts by the supplier's fax machine also unsuccessful. The email message may be undeliverable for various reasons. This may require that the component supplier retransmit the information numerous times before the manufacturer successfully receives the information.
The type of information used in performing business decision and plan analysis typically change frequently. The volatility of the information requires frequent communication of information, which further renders the manual management involved with the aforementioned communication tools increasingly burdensome. Thus, a communication system capable of receiving frequent information updates, and which seamlessly incorporates the information received in the business plan or decision analysis is desired. Furthermore, a communication system capable of ensuring the reliable delivery of information between the information provider and the information user is also desired.